Mark Hamill Was Scared of Returning to Star Wars

Star Wars icon Mark Hamill admits he was at first “really scared” of returning to the film saga. In just over a month, Hamill will return for his biggest role in creator George Lucas’ space opera since playing Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi in 1983.

Hamill, of course, was featured in the final minute of The Force Awakens in very brief scene, although his presence loomed over the first film in the third trilogy in the Skywalker family saga since it concentrated on his character’s’ disappearance. No matter the amount of screen time Hamill had in The Force Awakens – which is about to expand considerably when The Last Jedi hits theaters – the celebrated actor says he was troubled by the uncertainty of how he and original trilogy co-stars Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford would be received, especially given the fact that the new trilogy was introducing a new, younger cast.

Related: The Last Jedi TV Spot Teases Plenty of Action

In a new interview with the UK Independent, Hamill shared his doubts about signing up to do the new Star Wars films. He said, “I was just really scared. I thought, why mess with it? The idea of catching lightning in a bottle twice was ridiculously remote.” One factor, Hamill said, were the ages of he and his co-stars decades after the original trilogy concluded. He said, “No one wants to see the 50-, 60-, 70-year-old versions of us, running around, bumping heads on the Death Star.”

Even though Fisher was on board to do the films, Ford was not, which Hamill felt would give him an easy reason to not come back. That all changed, however, when Ford signed the dotted line and Hamill had no choice but to return, wondering aloud, “Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no? I’d be the most hated man in nerd-dom.”

While Hamill promises to be an integral part of The Last Jedi and had to prepare for the role as such, he’s still musing over the amount of dieting and exercise, mandated by Lucasfilm to appear in The Force Awakens, even though his appearance was extremely limited. Recalling his thoughts at the time, Hamill said:

“Why are they training me to turn and remove a hood? I could be the size of Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, who’s going to know?”

Fans found out from the first trailer that Hamill already had more lines in The Last Jedi than he did in The Force Awakens (that would be none), so the next biggest question will be how Luke has evolved in becoming the last Jedi over the last 30 years. Thanks to Lucasfilm’s reputation for keeping a tight lid on plot details for the film, it’s been a fun ride for fans looking for clues to crack regarding Luke, and whether the events that brought him to where he is in the new film turned him to the Dark Side, or whether he’s held steadfast in his Jedi ways. Fans will find out for sure when The Last Jedi opens in theaters.